Train line end valve



Jan. 14, 1958 E. B. MOORE \ETAL ,8 9,

TRAIN LINE E ND VALVE Filed May. 14, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS.

Filed May 14, 1954 TRAIN LINE END VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nite tates Patent l TRAIN LINE END VALVE Edward B. Moore, La Grange Park, and Elwoad H. Ston ich, Chicago, 11]., assignors to Vapor Heating Corpo ration, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Application May 14, 1954, Serial No. 429,726 7 Claims. (Cl; 137- 63iL13) The present invention relates to valves designed for use in connection with a railway car steam train line for controlling the passage of high pressure steam through the train line and the discharge of condensate therefrom.

In certain classes of railway trains, each car of the train has a steam line section extending from end to end of the car, this section being provided with a shut-off or end valve at opposite ends of the section. A flexible conduit ordinarily connects the outlet port of one valve with the inlet port of the adjacent valve in the next car and, depending upon the orientation of the cars, either port of either valve may be connected at one time to the high pressure side of the line and at another time to the low pressure side thereof. Furthermore, if a particular car is the last car in the series, one of the two valves thereof must function as the end valve of the train. In such an instance it will be required to discharge condensate to the atmosphere as well as to bleed a small amount of steam therethr-ough to prevent freezing of the condensate during cold weather. I

The valve of the present invention is capable of functioning as an intermediate valve in the overall train line regardless of which side of the valve is connected to the high pressure side of the line, as well as functioning efficiently as the extreme end valve of the train line when required. When the valve is in its closed position, regardless of which side of the valve may be conneeted'to the high pressure side of the line, it will resist involuntary opening movements thereof and, when manual force is applied to open the valve in the presence of high steam pressure, the valve structure prevents the steam pressure from imparting violent percussive movement to the valve. This improved result is obtained by virtue of the provision of a fluid pressure chamber in which entrapped steam and/or air operates upon the valve element proper to resist the opening movement of the valve until such time as the pressure of fluid within the pressure chamber is bled to the low pressure side of the line, such bleeding thereof taking place automatically when the control handle for the valve is moved in a direction tending to open the valve.

t The valve, when functioning as the extreme end valve ofthe train line, may be set by proper manipulation of the control handle to permanently bleed a small amount of steam therethrollgh to revent freezing of the collected condensate as well as to carry such condensate to atmosphere.

A further advantage of the present improvement is that the friction between the movingparts during manipulation of the valve is reduced to a minimum, yet a material and substantially constant degree of torque must be applied thereto to effect the desired valve movements. a

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated;

I In these drawings: V Fig. I is anextertial top plan view of the im roved end valve comprising the present invention;

2,819,730 Patented Jane 14, 1958 Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-6 of Fig; 1; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectional views representing a portion of Fig; 3 showing the valve actuating cam in successive positions.

From the statement of the invention it will be understood that the illustrated end valve is designed for at tachrnent to the steam line of a railway passenger car or the like with one such valve positioned at each end of the car or other locomotive unit of a train, The valve includes a casting having ports 11 and 12 internally threaded for connection to pipes 13 and 14, respectively. The pipe 13 may be the usual train line which extends longitudinally of the car and an identical end valve may be positioned at the other end of this pipe. The pipe 14 may lead to a flexible coupling conduit, not shown, for joining the steam lines of adjacent cars.

The casting 10 is formed with a through which the internal parts of the valve may be assembled. A removable cover plate 16 is secured over the opening by means of cap-screws 17, a steam tight gasket 18 being interposed between the cover plate and casting. A second opening 20 (Fig.2), in quadrature to the ports 11 and 12, is internally threaded to receive a stufiing box assembly 21. 1 A threaded insert 22, axially aligned with the port 12, has an annular valve seat 23 designed for cooperation with a valve surface 24 provided on the valve element 25 of a combined piston and valve member 26 The seat 23 and surface 24 are preferably lapped to a high degree of flatness. A series of guide fins 27 are slidabl e within the insert 22 and provide lateral support for the member 26 to keep the mating surfaces 23 and 24 in alignment. A piston 28 is connected by parallel struts 30 and is slidable within the bore 31 of a cylindrical sleeve 32 having a flange portion 33 clamped against a shoulder 34 by the cover plate 16.

Extending through the stuffing box 21 and passing across the interior of the casting 10'is a cam shaft'40 having its inner end journalled as at- 41 (Fig; 2) in the casting 10 and having its outer end squared as at 42 to receive thereover a handle or operating wrench 43. The shaft projects through the piston and valve member 26 and is oflset slightly from the vertical axis of the latter. The shaft 40 is formed with a pair of spaced trapezoidal flanges 44 between which there are supported on spindles 45 a pair of operating rollers 46 and 47' the function of large opening 15 which will be set forth presently.

The valve member 26 has an inte ral hiib 48 which threadedly receives therein a bleeder valve assemhly' 49 including an outer threaded body 50, a needle valve 51', pring 52, washer 53 and snap ring 54. The needle valve 51 is normally held by the s ring 52 against a tapered valve seat 55 formed on the body 50 andis formed with a finned pilot tip 56 designed for engagement with an actuating button 57 of non-circular design slidable in an opening formed in the valve lement 25. The button 57 is positioned inthe path of movement of the roller 46 and is capable of being depressed by the latter to open thehleeder valve assembly 49.

The upper end of the piston 23 is formed with a hub 60 which threadedly receives therein a cap 61 which forms with the piston body a pocket 62 communicating through a passage 63 provided in the member 26' with the port 12. A pressure relief valve 64 is spring pressed as at 65 against a seat 66 surrounding a vertical bore 67 in the piston 28. The bore 67 communicates through a passa e 68 with the space existing above the piston '28: The'relief valve 64 is piloted by a stem 70 which proieets completely through the bore 67 and hasend-projecting a a slightdistance below the piston. The lower end of the stem 70 is designed for engagement with an operating lever 71 mounted for swinging movement about the axis of a pin 72 passing through the piston 23. The lever 71 is in turn designed for camming engagement with the roller 47 for actuation thereby in a manner and for a purpose that will be made clear presently.

When the valve assembly is connected in the steam line of a train with the valve port 11 connected to the high pressure side of the line, a quantity of steam from the high pressure chamber will pass around the piston rings 28a and collect in the space above the piston 28. Such body of steam together with the high pressure steam overlying the valve element 25 exert pressure thereon and obviously tend to maintain the valve closed, the closed position of the valve being shown in Fig. 3. In the absence of high pressure steam atmosphere will pass around said piston rings 28a into the space above the piston 28. To open the valve it is necessary to move the operating handle 43 so as to rotate the shaft 40 in a clockwise direction throughout an angle of approximately 180 to move the rollers 46 and 47 through the intermediate positions shown in Fig. 4 to the final or home positions shown in Fig. 5. Initial movement of the roller 46 from the position of Fig 3 to the position of Fig 4 will by a camming action serve to depress the operating button 57 and open the bleeder valve 49 but such opening of the valve will be without function other than to admit a limited amount of steam to pass through the valve 49 with no useful purpose. Continued movement of the cam shaft 40 in a clockwise direction will cause the roller 47 to engage the operating lever 71 near the distal end thereof and by a camming action swing the lever in a clockwise direction about the axis of the pin 72 to force the stem 70 of the relief valve 64 upwarldy to open this latter valve and bleed this space through the passage 68 and 63 to the low pressure side of the valve assembly. Further rotation of the cam shaft will force the distal end of the lever 71 into engagement with the bottom face of the piston 74 and, as the roller 47 rides across the surface of the lever 71, the piston 74 and consequently the entire piston and valve member 26 will be moved upwardly to lift the valve 25 from its seat 23 and allow steam to flow through the valve assembly from the high pressure side to the low pressure side thereof.

The roller 47 will ultimately assume the final or home position shown in Fig. 5 and in so doing it will pass over a dead center position and come to rest against one of the struts 30. In this position the lever 71 may be partially released and the valve 64 partially or even fully closed but, since the valve is lifted from its seat 23, the condition of the valve 64 is of no importance.

If the assembly is connected to the steam line with the port 12 connected to the high pressure side, the tendency will be for the valve 25 to be forced from its seat 23. However, the entrapped air and/or steam within the pocket 15 will to a certain extent resist the opening movement of the valve and a moderate amount of manual force may be required to open the valve. In any event the operating handle 43 will be moved manually to bring the roller cage including the trapezoidal flanges 44 to its home position shown in Fig. 5.

When the valve assembly is employed at the extreme end of the train line, the operating handle 43 is moved through approximately 22 /2 from the closed position of the valve shown in Fig. 3 so as to bring the parts to the positions shown in Fig. 4 wherein the roller 46 engages the actuating button 57 and depresses the same to thus open the bleeder valve assembly 49. The handle 43 may be left in this position and the bleeder valve allowed to remain open so that any condensate which has collected in the line may be discharged to the atmosphere and also so that a small amount of steam may pass through the valve assembly and prevent freezing of the collected condensate.

It is to be-noted that the provision of the roller cage assembly including the two trapezoidal flanges 44 on the shaft 40 and the rollers 46 and 47 which are suspended between these flanges reduces friction to a minimum during actual turning movements of the shaft 40. Extreme ease of operation however is not desirable and the assembly is designed so that a material degree of torque must be applied to the operating handle 43 to turn the cam shaft 40. The provision of the rollers 46 and 47 merely prevent binding of the various moving parts during manipulation of the valve and retention of the valve parts in the wide open position shown in Fig. 5 is assured because the final movement of the handle 43 carries the roller 47 over a dead center position so that the same is held in its extreme position against the strut 30 against accidental dislodgment.

We claim:

1. A train valve comprising a housing having two ports, a valve seat defining a main passageway between said ports within the housing, a cylinder having one end closed and its other end in communication with one of said ports, a combined reciprocable piston and valve member including a piston part slidable in said cylinder and cooperating with the closed end thereof to provide a pressure chamber and having a main valve part movable with the piston toward and away from said seat to effect closing and opening of the main passageway, there being a relief passageway in said combined piston and valve for establishing communication between the said other port and said pressure chamber, a biased closed relief valve disposed in said relief passageway, an operating shaft rotatably journalled in said housing and extending through said combined piston and valve member at a location intermediate said main valve part and said relief valve, a cam ecceutrically mounted on said shaft and movable upon rotation of the shaft in one direction into effective engagement with said relief valve to open the same, said cam upon continued rotation of the shaft in said direction being thereafter movable into effective engagement with said combined piston and valve member to move the latter in a direction to move the main valve away from said seat.

2. A train valve according to claim 1 characterized in that a lever is pivotally mounted on said combined piston and valve member and has a movable part interposed between said cam and said relief valve, said lever being engageable by the cam and being operable upon engagement thereby to actuate the relief valve and open the same.

3. A train valve comprising a housing having two ports, a valve seat defining a main passage between said ports within the housing, a cylinder having one end closed and its other end in communication with one of said ports, a combined reciprocable piston and valve member including a piston part reciprocable in said cylinder and cooperating with the closed end thereof to provide a pressure chamber and having a main valve part movable toward and away from said seat to close and open said main passageway, there being a relief passageway through said main valve part and through said piston part of said reciprocal member for establishing communication between the said pressure chamber and the other port, said piston part being spaced from said main valve part with the bottom of the piston part in opposition to the top of the main valve part, a biased closed relief valve disposed in said relief passageway and having a valve stem projecting through the bottom of said piston part, an operating shaft rotatably journalled in said housing and projecting into the space existing between the main valve part and the piston part of said member, and cam means mounted on said shaft and movable upon rotation of the shaft in one direction first into effective engagement with said valve stem to open the relief valve and thereafter into effective engagement with the bottom of the piston to move the member in a direction to move the valve part away from said seat.

4. A train valve according to claim 3 wherein said cam means comprises an eccentrically disposed antifriction roller on said shaft.

5. A train valve according to claim 4 characterized by the provision of a bleeder passage through the main valve, a normally closed bleeder valve disposed in said bleeder passageway and having a valve stem projecting into the space existing between the main valve part and the piston part in the path of movement of said cam and by the provision of a second roller on said cam for engaging the bleeder valve stem to open the same preliminary to opening said relief valve.

6. A train valve comprising a housing having two ports, a valve seat defining a main passageway between said ports, a cylinder having one end' closed and its other end communicating with one of said ports, a combined reciprocable piston and valve member including a piston part reciprocable in said cylinder and cooperating with the closed end thereof to provide a pressure chamber and having a valve part spaced from said piston part and movable into and out of engagement with said seat, means for applying pressure to said piston part for urging said member in a direction to maintain the valve part seated, means defining a relief passageway establishing communication between the said pressure chamber and said main passageway, a biased closed relief valve disposed within said relief passageway, said relief valve having a valve stem projecting into the space existing between the main valve part and piston part, there being a bleeder passageway extending through said main valve part and establishing communication between said ports, a bleeder valve carried by said main valve part and disposed within said bleeder passageway, said bleeder valve including a valve stem also projecting into the space existing between the valve part and piston part, and cam means rotatably journalled in said housing operable upon movement in one direction to first effectively engage the bleeder valve stem to open the bleeder valve and thereafter operable to effectively engage the relief valve stem to open the relief valve and to finally eifectively engage the piston part to move the member in a direction to unseat said main valve part.

7. A train valve according to claim 6 wherein said cam means comprises a cam shaft extending into the space existing between the piston part and the main valve part, a first cam roller eccentrically disposed on said shaft and designed for effective engagement with said bleeder valve stem, and a second cam roller eccentrically disposed on the shaft and designed for eflfective engagement with the relief valve stem.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

